Gender Violence Services events: Feb. 17, 24, and more TBA

The AAC council of Asian American/Asian-interest student organizations is organizing a series to highlight support and services for gender violence survivors in our community.

Serving Invisible Voices: Panels on UNC and local resources

Join us on Zoom on Feb. 17, 6pm

Panelists will include UNC Counseling and Psychological Services, Compass Center, and Gender Violence Services Coordinators from the Carolina Women’s Center.

Join us on Zoom on Feb. 24, 6pm [Register here]

Panelists will include the UNC Ombuds and EOC offices (others TBA).

Our student organizers found…

In 2019, the News and Observer reported that 1/3 of female undergraduate students reported a sexual assault at UNC. In a recent study done on gender violence in the context of Asian American female college students, researchers found….

1 in 4 Asian American women experienced gender-based assault
40% of those do not disclose to anyone at all
Of those who do only 18.3% disclosed to a counseling service
Of those who did not disclose:
- 54% felt uncomfortable
- 26% did not know who to tell

Notes from Panel I

with CAPS and Carolina Women’s Center Gender Violence Services Coordinators

CAPS

Dr. Allen O’Barr – Director of CAPS

Mission is to serve students in any way they can
Limited resources
Vision is to continually evolve to meet ongoing needs of students
- Mental health services were predominantly framed as white
- Evolving to broader mental health services has been difficult and slow
Multicultural health program
- Resources but work needed
- Only on 1 year funding
CAPS has 5 medication providers, 17 counselors,
- Referral coordination program – Have to refer 30% students to others due to lack of resources/capacity
Losing 2 counselors in July
Same day walk-ins
- Have 5-6 people every day prepared for this

Many Asian American UNC students are second or third generation immigrant students, meaning that they may have Asian parents. This dynamic may come with generational differences in which they may be discouraged from seeking help from or disclosing to your organization. Can you give an outline of your current/or future plan be to proactively reach out to Asian American students at UNC or in the community? How is that different from a plan for proactively reaching out to other racial/cultural populations?

CAPS has not been able to invest in proactive outreach; it is reactive due to funding/limitations in services
- Many centers devote at least 1 entire position to this
Working on cultural understanding
- Staff has joined caucuses
Multicultural health program has reduced direct service programs to expand on proactive outreach

One of the important factors in serving an Asian American population is representation. From many of our perspectives, we tend to be much more comfortable to disclose when we are around someone who looks like us, understands the diversity of our cultures, understands the tropes/stereotypes that may be rendered upon us and how that may operationalize in our lives. Subsequently, do you have Asian American representation in your staff and how are they/or could you put them in the best position to serve our nuanced population?

In recruiting, it is difficult to get Asian/Asian American candidates
- Perhaps due to where positions are being advertised
Earlier they were paying 70% of national average salary to counselors
- Now 90% of national average salary
Training program for pre-doc psych students who need 1 year internship and other training programs where they maintain very diverse group of students
Have had 5 Southeast Asian staff members in the past, but currently none
HR does not permit the use of the word “diversity” in advertisements for postings
- Makes it difficult to recruit diverse individuals
Focusing on Asian/Asian American/ LatinX representation in staff and services as next steps

Asian American culture is vast and very diverse. Asians are very different from Asian Americans. In addition, our cultures may vary depending on our ethnicity. Asian Americans with east Asian roots may have far different religious belief systems, food choices, clothing styles, etc. than South Asians. Do you currently or do you plan to give cultural competence training to any of your employees? What might a program like that look like?

Was not fully aware of the extent to which there are differences between different Asian roots; not sure of where to learn about this through trainings but is very open to it

Referral process lack of representation leads to people having to pay for services that actually work for them

Refer out people who will require more than a semester’s worth of sessions
Long term counselling is referred out (long term is about past and how it comes up now)
Don’t know of many Asian individuals in the community who they can refer people to
People are referred to referral coordinators – focus on travel, insurance, etc
Try to refer people into places where their insurance covers it
- If no insurance/insurance with very high deductible, referral coordinator should address this
- If referral coordinator does not address this and you are in a situation where you are paying full cost with no insurance, contact Dr. O’Barr DIRECTLY; he is committed to finding a way to make it work
Limitations in funding, but have the capacity to help students gain access to the mental health services they need when they are facing financial barriers

About multiracial/multiethnic students:
- Staff focus on their own perspectives/implicit biases
- They don’t ask students to educate them, but staff knows they have to actively reverse the white supremacist foundation that services are based on
- Working on transgenerational trauma
- Very open to dialogue

Contact Information:

aobarr@email.unc.edu

Healthyheels on instagram and twitter

Carolina Women’s Center

Gender violence services coordinators – Holly and Kayla
Gender violence services in the context of sexual violence, sexual exploitation, stalking, any gender based violences
Anyone is welcome
People can meet GVSC as many times as they need, use these services as they need
Can talk through academic support, safety plans and connect to campus and community resources (also provides to local connections since everyone is not necessarily on campus due to COVID)
Explores reporting options with students
- Can help coordinate meetings and accompany students to meetings so they do not need to be alone

Many Asian American UNC students are second or third generation immigrant students, meaning that they may have Asian parents. This dynamic may come with generational differences in which they may be discouraged from seeking help from or disclosing to your organization. Can you give an outline of your current/or future plan be to proactively reach out to Asian American students at UNC or in the community? How is that different from a plan for proactively reaching out to other racial/cultural populations?

Only 2 GVSCs on campus
Mostly focus on direct service, and helping students navigate their concerns
Join panels, meetings, etc when members from community reach out to them
Advocating for their resources – need more staff to focus on outreach
Want to emphasize that this is a service that can be shared out to the entire community

One of the important factors in serving an Asian American population is representation. From many of our perspectives, we tend to be much more comfortable to disclose when we are around someone who looks like us, understands the diversity of our cultures, understands the tropes/stereotypes that may be rendered upon us and how that may operationalize in our lives. Subsequently, do you have Asian American representation in your staff and how are they/or could you put them in the best position to serve our nuanced population?

White, cis-gendered, able-bodied women who recognize that their identities are not very diverse
It’s something that they wish they can expand on and advocate for in the expansion in the women’s center
Making sure to have continuous education from various resources
- New trainings each week, conversations, spaces about advocacy and helping how to navigate through experiences
Focus on what the person seeking services truly needs out of GVSC
Help people feel informed even prior to connection
Respect everyone, consider what they can do to make their services most accessible
Currently online, earlier were in the carolina women’s center, which could be barring to certain gender identities
- Are open to meeting anywhere
Open to having friends, mentors anyone who makes the student comfortable present at meetings

Asian American culture is vast and very diverse. Asians are very different from Asian Americans. In addition, our cultures may vary depending on our ethnicity. Asian Americans with east Asian roots may have far different religious belief systems, food choices, clothing styles, etc. than South Asians. Do you currently or do you plan to give cultural competence training to any of your employees? What might a program like that look like?

Hopeful for more conversations/trainings that could shed light on this
Trainings on anti-racism
Open to hearing from the community about what they should be trained on

What about multiracial/multiethnic students?
- Leave it up to people to start where they feel most comfortable
- Speak about what’s specific to their lived experiences
- Focus on navigating in the moment about the intersections that are personal to them
  - Does not assume

Gender Violence Services Coordinators:

gvsc@unc.edu

919-962-1343

Instagram: @uncgvsc

Website: Gender Violence Services – Carolina Women’s Center (unc.edu)

When you reach out to GVSC, you don’t need to give specifics. You can just say “I want to meet” and they will follow up. If you leave a voicemail, just leave a phone number that is safe to return the call.

Notes from Panel II

with UNC Ombuds Office, Compass Center (Orange County non-profit), and UNC Office of Diversity and Inclusion

UNC Ombuds

Dawn Osborne-Adams, Director

Place where people can talk openly, privately about any issues they have at Carolina
Services in 3 areas:
- Consultation (casework)
- Facilitation (neutral party within a group or multiple parties)
- Systemic work (work with various groups of people on campus to impact the broader institution/community as a whole)
- #3 referral from the GVSC, after the EOC and police

How do services differ for Asian Americans?

Services are same regardless of the issue because they are on the individual level and with same, high-level care
Acknowledge that identity is important, but in this case they strive to serve everyone well regardless of this

The Asian American culture is very vast and diverse. There are lots of tropes and stereotypes rendered upon us. What does Asian American representation look like in your office and do we have the capacity in the office to serve this nuanced population?

Small office
Wanting and needing to learn more, and have not gotten around to really doing much more outreach and doing this
Need more feedback

In resources, there is a lot of referral between different services. If all the offices lack representation, how would needs be met? Is there a plan for cultural competence training? Who would facilitate that type of training?

Focus on cultural humility, rather than cultural competence
- Acknowledges that there needs to be awareness/openness to learn about cultures
Would be useful to learn about how conflict arises in different cultural contexts

Asian Americans don’t really report their conflicts as much. Is this an issue with our resources? How do we become more proactive?

Need to go into more spaces
Non-white students typically come to this office much further down the road of conflict than white students
- This puts them in positions of less options/resources

Compass Center

Valerie Sauer, Director of Education Programs

Non-profit agency that serves all of Orange County
Supports people as they navigate through self-sufficiency, safety and health
Domestic violence service agency
- 24/7 crisis line
- Emotional support
- Safety planning
- Support in pursuing DV protective orders
- Opened shelter
- Free mental health services for survivors
- Self-sufficiency services (open to EVERYONE)
  - Career and preparedness services
  - Financial education programs
    - Budgeting
    - How to improve credit score
  - Legal information services
    - Partner with attorneys in area to provide information centering around family law and landlord-tenant issues
- Education and youth prevention services
  - 2 adolescent empowerment programs
    - Start strong – program in middle schools
      - Discuss healthy, unhealthy, abusive relationships

Teens Climb High – comprehensive sexual health program

How do services change for Asian Americans?

They let the individuals lead where the conversation goes
Services adapt to what the client is needing/asking for and ensuring that if this changes, they are still here to help

The Asian American culture is very vast and diverse. There are lots of tropes and stereotypes rendered upon us. What does Asian American representation look like in your office and do you have the capacity in the office to serve this nuanced population?

2 staff members who identify as South Asian
- 1 is client-facing
When working with trauma, there is this double-edged sword of providing very-high level personal care and sustainable work for the staff themselves
- There is some pushback on this idea that you need literal representation in staff identity in order to serve students of that same identity because that places high burden on that individual staff member

Resistance to the idea of cultural competence as if it is something to be achieved
- Focus on cultural humility
Everyone goes through REI trainings – not really centered around the experience of Asian Americans
Internal trainings on intersectionality in the context of domestic violence, racism, white supremacy
Majority of the Asian Americans they interact with are seeking services in regards to power and control dynamics with their parents
Asian community members they serve is a much more vast population
- Refugees from Burma

Asian Americans don’t really report their conflicts as much. Is this an issue with our resources? How do we become more proactive?

We need to build trust
- Reach out to organizations to partner so that students have the information to understand their own experiences
Conflict between cultural and social norms

UNC Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Ew Quimbaya-Winship , Report and Response Coordinator

Intake of reports from campus community regarding harassment, discrimination
Title IX reports
Private resource for documenting concerns
- FERPA – services center around confidentiality
Ensure that all students are aware of their reporting options, services available
Can begin investigations to gather information around reports
Response programs
Education Programs to spread policy and procedure-based information around the office
Provide faculty and staff accommodations for disabilities
Provide religious accomodations
- I.e. if there is a religious observance during exams
Accomodations for parenting/pregnant students, faculty and staff

Safe.unc.edu -resources internally and externally

How do services change for Asian Americans?

If they are notified of sexual violence, the report makes its way to the EOC
Students are provided with emails with all the information they need to know, options of groups/services that are pertinent to them
Often takes multiple meetings to really hear about the incident that occurs; focus on building rapport first
There are options on who to talk to within the EOC, many options for confidentiality

When there is the opportunity to learn, they go to that space
- Committed to learning about sociocultural nuances
Emphasis on showing up for students – learning, listening, reflecting back

HAVEN training
- Spent time in these past few months converting this into an online training
- UNC-centric definition of consent
- Keep conversation open because trainings are specified
  - Keeps it open to dialogue

Asian Americans don’t really report their conflicts as much. Is this an issue with our resources? How do we become more proactive?

Gender/sexual violence services fields are predominantly led by white women
Need to make sure that service-providers are being held accountable, show up for all communities, build trust (though this takes a lot of time)
- Build trust in the office in addition to building trust in individuals working there